Furnace construction



March 31, 1964 G. HIRSCHBERG ETAL FURNACE CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Filed Jan. 11, 1962 I Hiii. W"

6 F I G. 4 INVENTORS a 11' F168 BY za' zzbxizw 67ft us United StatesPatent 3,127,154 FURNAQE CGNSTRUC'IION Guenther Hirschherg, Chicago, andRobert H. Ross,

Wheaten, IEL, assignors to Flinn 8; Drefiein Engineering Co., Qhicago,ISL, a corporation of Illinors Filed Jan. 11, 1962, Ser. No. 165,549Claims. ((21. 263-6) This invention relates to a furnace constructionand it relates more particularly to improved means for moving the workwithin a furnace from one location to another.

There are many occasions when it is desirable to transport materials todifferent locations in a furnace. Thus, many large furnaces are designedwhereby hotter and colder zones are developed, and it is the practice ofthe industry to move the work from one zone to another in a heattreating cycle. Furthermore, ideally uniform heating of work can beaccomplished if the respective pieces are moved in a series of stepsfrom an entry end to an exit end in the furnace.

Many devices have been developed which will accomplish moving ofmaterials in a furnace. Devices for this purpose must be capable ofoperating at extreme temperatures and must be controllable from outsidethe furnace. In order to accomplish this, mechanisms of relativelycomplex construction have been resorted to, and this has led to undueexpense and severe maintenance problems.

A further drawback of existing mechanisms relates to the supportingstructure for the mechanisms. In many cases, it has been necessary topass supporting structure through the furnace bottom and to provide pitsbeneath the furnace to permit access to this structure. This is,necessarily, an expensive operation and, in addition, constructions ofthis type tend to develop drafts in the furnaces due to holes in thebottom.

It is an object of this invention to provide improved means for furnaceconstructions which are capable of moving the work within the furnacefrom one location to another.

It is an additional object of this invention to provide a means forrelocating work within a furnace which is relatively simple inconstruction and operation and which does not require undue expense inits installation or in its maintenance.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a work relocatingmeans within a furnace which is provided with an operating andsupporting structure which does not pass through the furnace bottomwhereby pits beneath the furnace can be avoided and drafts through thefurnace will not develop.

These and other objects of this invention will appear hereinafter and,for purposes of illustration, but not of limitation, specificembodiments of this invention are shown in the accompanying drawings inwhich:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical elevation of a furnace construction provided withthe mechanisms of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a detail end View of the beam construction forming part ofthe mechanisms of this invention;

FIGURE 3 is a detail side elevation;

FIGURE 4 is a detail side elevation similar to that shown in FIGURE 3with the upper beam shown in its raised position;

FIGURE 5 is a vertical section taken about the line 5-5 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 6 is a vertical section taken about the line 6-6 of FIGURE 4; and

FIGURE 7 is a detail perspective View of a removable bearing insertemployed in the practice of this invention.

The mechanisms of this invention are provided in a furnace constructionwhich has a closed bottom and which is provided with upstandingsupporting means for maintaining the Work in the furnace in a horizontalplane. Channel means which are disposed between adjacent supportingmeans are employed for locating the means employed for transferring thework from one location to another. The means employed for transferringthe work comprise upper and lower beams which are horizontally disposedwithin the channels. Bearing means with concave seats are disposed incorresponding parts of the upper and lower beams and linking bars havingconvex ends pivotally interfit with the bearing seats. The linking barsare of a length sufiicient to maintain the beams in spaced apartrelation when the bars and their respective seats are aligned in avertical plane. Means are provided for horizontally shifting the upperand lower beams relative to each other whereby the linking bars can bemoved to and from a vertically aligned position. When the linking barsare vertically aligned, they are adapted to hold the upper beam abovethe supporting means for the work, at which time the interconnectedupper and lower beams can be horizontally moved relative to thesupporting means. Accordingly, the Work on the supporting means can becarried with the upper and lower beams to a new location.

With a mechanism of the type described, there is no need for providingany supporting structure beneath the furnace. With this arrangement, noexpensive pits need be placed beneath the furnace, and no holes areformed in the furnace bottom which would initiate drafts in the furnace.Furthermore, it will be apparent that the entire beam assembly making upthe inventive mechanism can be replaced without cooling the furnace.There is no need for workmen to move into the furnace and maintenance ofthe mechanism is, accordingly, greatly facilitated.

In a preferred practice of this invention, the bearing seats for thelinking bars are provided as inserts which can be removed from the upperand lower beams. With an arrangement of this nature, there is no actualwear imparted to the beams themselves, only the bearing inserts andlinking bars can wear out, and these can be easily replaced.

Additional means are provided which cooperate with the above describedmechanisms to insure ease of maintenance and smooth operation in theapparatus. Specifically, a roller bed is provided at the bottom of thechannels and the lower beam is adapted to rest on the roller bed. Therollers can be readily removed and replaced when necessary. In addition,a piston arrangement is preferably provided for reciprocating theinterconnected upper and lower beams when it is desired to shift thesebeams with respect to each other. In accordance with this invention, thepiston means and associated cylinder are pivotally connected to theupper and lower beams whereby the piston and cylinder assembly isadapted to move in a vertical plane while providing shifting movement inthe upper and lower beams.

The accompanying drawings will serve to provide a more detailedexplanation of the improved furnace construction of this invention.FIGURE 1 illustrates a furnace 10 in which some work, illustrated as thebars 12, is to be heat treated. As an example of the capabilities of thestructure of this invention, it can be assumed that the Work is to bemoved from the right hand section of the furnace to the left handsection. It will be apparent, however, in considering the followingdescription, that the mechanisms of this invention can be employed invarious conventional furnaces and can be used for moving material in anydirection and in steps of different magnitudes.

Associated with the bottom section 14 of the furnace 3 there areprovided upstanding supporting means comprising piers 16. Channels 18are formed between adjacent piers and upper and lower beams 20 and 22,respectively, are adapted to be located within the channels 18. Thelower beam 22 is adapted to rest and is movable on a roller bed made upof rollers 24. Spacers 25 (see FIGS. 3 and serve to maintain properlocation of the rollers.

The upper beam 20 is provided with a downwardly extending portion 26 atone end. Pivotally secured to the portion 26 by means of a bracket 28 isa hydraulic cylinder 30. The cylinder 30 is provided with a piston 32which is pivotally connected at 34 to the lower beam 22. It will beapparent that these mechanisms could be located in reverse positions.

A plurality of linking bars 36 are disposed Within compartments formedby partitions 38 and 40 in the upper and lower beams. The linking barsare of a length sufiicient to maintain the beams in spaced apartrelation when the bars are aligned in a vertical plane. The hydrauliccylinder and associated piston are adapted to shift the upper and lowerbeams relative to each other, whereby the upper beam will be raised whenthe bars 36 are vertically aligned. As the upper beam is raised, thehydraulic cylinder 30 and piston 32 are adapted to pivot at their endswhile performing the reciprocating functions.

Any conventional means (not shown) can be connected to the beam 20 at 48in order to move the upper and lower beam assembly over the roller bed.The means connected at 48 can be any manually operated or automaticallydriven device which will permit horizontal movement of the beam assemblyduring relocation of the work in the furnace or during positioning ofthe assembly. 7

FIGURES 3 through 7 illustrate in detail the mounting for the linkingbars 36. As shown in FIGURE 3, the linking bars 36 are adapted to beangularly disposed when the upper and lower beams are in engagement.Angular flanges 50 on the partition 40 permit angular positioning of thebars.

The convex end 52. of the bars 36 is adapted to fit into correspondingconcave seats 54 formed in the bearing inserts 56. It will be apparentthat the interengagement of the linking bars and bearing inserts willprovide for smooth operation of the apparatus. It will also be apparentthat a means is provided for readily adjusting the height to which theupper beam can be extended. Thus, the length of the linking bars 36 canbe extended as desired, and it will be obvious that these bars can bereplaced with a minimum of effort.

In a typical operation of the described mechanisms, the work 12 isbrought into the furnace through door 42, moved in steps through thefurnace until opposite exit door 44. It will be apparent that two ormore beam assemblies can be employed depending on the size of the work.

Movement of the work is accomplished by first operating the cylinder 30whereby the forward stroke of the piston 32 will move the lower beam 22to the right relative to the upper beam 20. The work 12 will be raisedto the dotted line position shown in FIGURE 1 and the upper and lowerbeams will be retained in this position while means connected at 48 aremade operative to move the beam assembly to the left over the rollerbed. When the work has been moved one step, the piston 32 is retractedand, therefore, the top surface of the upper beam will pass beneath thetop surface of the piers 16. Accordingly, the work 12 will again come torest on the piers at a new location in the furnace. The work oppositedoor 44 can be withdrawn and a new bar inserted opposite door 42.

The provision of the walking beam assemblies in the manner describedavoids drafts due to openings in the furnace floor and the chimneyeffect is, therefore, eliminated. The only opening occasioned by thelocation of the assemblies in accordance with this invention is at theside and tendency for severe drafts is, therefore, reduced.

Suitable flexible seals are available for further reducing heat loss.

The design of the bars 36 and the inserts 56 provides for smoothdependable operation in the apparatus. Virtually all the wear duringoperation is taken up by these members and, therefore, maintenance iskept to a minimum. Alternative forms for the bars and bearing seats arealso contemplated. Thus, the seats could be fiat or convex, while theends of the bars are given a square shape. Accordingly, sliding frictionwould be eliminated since the bars would effectively roll over theseats.

The linking bars and bearing inserts can be replaced by raising theupper beam beyond the length of the bars 36 for access to the interiorcompartments. New rollers 24 can similarly be substituted, since theroller bed is accessible if the beam assembly is moved out of thefurnace.

Obviously, two or more of the beam assemblies described can be employedin a single furnace. The plural units can be easily adapted forsimultaneous operation. Furthermore, it will be understood that meansother than the specific piston arrangement can be employed for movingthe upper and lower beams relative to each other and the linkage betweenthese beams is interchangeable.

In referring to upstanding supporting means for the work in thefollowing claims, it will be understood that use is contemplated ofspaced apart piers or the like which extend above the furnace floor andwhich are capable of receiving between them the beam construction ofthis invention. Alternatively, the upstanding supporting means canextend from the bottom of channel depressions formed in the furnacefloor whereby the beam construction will lie beneath the normal floorlevel, while the work will rest directly on the floor.

It will be understood that various modifications can be made in theabove described furnace construction which provide the characteristicsof this invention without departing from the spirit thereof,particularly as defined in the following claims.

We claim:

1. In a furnace construction having a closed bottom, upstandingsupporting means provided for maintaining the work in the furnace in ahorizontal plane, and channel means disposed between adjacent supportingmeans, the improvement comprising means for moving said work within saidfurnace from one location on said supporting means to another, saidmoving means including upper and lower beams horizontally disposedwithin at least one of said channel means, said beams defining openinterior portions, substantially vertically disposed partition wallsformed transversely of the length of said partitions in said interiorportions to thereby define a plurality of bearing receiving compartmentstherein in spacedapart relationship along the length of each of saidbeams, removable bearing inserts with concave seats disposed within saidcompartments and secured against lateral movement with respect to theirassociated beams by means of their engagement with said partition walls,linking bars having convex ends pivotally interfitting with said seats,said bearing inserts being held within said compartments by reason oftheir engagement with said linking bars, said linking bars having alength sufiicient to maintain said beams in spaced apart relation whenthe bars and their respective seats are aligned in a vertical plane,means connected to said lower beam for horizontally shifting said beamsrelative to each other, said linking bars being adapted to hold the topof said upper beam above the top of said supporting means whenever thebeams are disposed in said spaced apart relation, a roller bed made upof a plurality of rollers mounted for rotation in the bottom of saidchannel means, said roller bed supporting said lower beam, meansconnecting said upper and lower beams and means associated with saidconnecting means for horizontally moving the upper and lower beams oversaid roller bed.

2. A construction according to claim 1 wherein the means forhorizontally shifting said beams include a hydraulic cylinder andpiston, said piston being operatively connected to said lower beam forreciprocating said beam, and said furnace construction further includingmeans for restraining said upper beam during shifting movement of thelower beam.

3. A construction according to claim 2 wherein said piston is pivotallyconnected to said lower beam and the cylinder is pivotally connected tosaid upper beam whereby the cylinder and piston are movable in avertical plane when the relative shifting movement of said beams occurs.

4. In a furnace construction having a closed bottom, upstandingsupporting means provided for maintaining the Work in the furnace in ahorizontal plane, and channel means between adjacent supporting means,the improvement comprising means for moving said work within the furnacefrom one location on said supporting means to another, said moving meansincluding upper and lower beams horizontally disposed within at leastone of said channel means, substantially vertically disposed partitionwalls formed in said beams to provide a plurality of bearing receivingcompartments therein, removable bearing means disposed in saidcompartments, linking bars pivotally interfitting with said bearingmeans, said bearing means being held within said compartments by reasonof their engagement with said linking bars, said linking bars having alength sufiicient to maintain said beams in spaced apart relation whenthe bars and their respective bearing means are aligned in a verticalplane, said linking bars being adapted to assume an angularly disposedposition when said upper beam rests on said lower beam, means forhorizontally shifting said beams relative to each other, said linkingbars being adapted to hold the top of said upper beam above the top ofsaid supporting means whenever the beams are disposed in said spacedapart relation, and means for horizontally moving the upper and lowerbeams together.

5. In a furnace construction having a closed bottom, upstandingsupporting means provided for maintaining the work in the furnace in ahorizontal plane, and channel means between adjacent supporting means,the improvement comprising means for moving said work within the furnacefrom one location on said supporting means to another, said moving meansinlucding upper and lower beams horizontally disposed within at leastone of said channel means, substantially vertically disposed partitionwalls formed in said beams to provide a plurality of bearing receivingcompartments therein, removable bearing means disposed in saidcompartments, linking bars pivotally interfitting with said bearingmeans, said linking bars having a length sufficient to maintain saidbeams in spaced apart relation when the bars and their respectivebearing means are aligned in a vertical plane, said linking bars beingadapted to assume an angularly disposed position when said upper beamrests on said lower beam, means for horizontally shifting said beamsrelative to each other, said linking bars being adapted to hold the topof said upper beam above the top of said supporting means whenever thebeams are disposed in said spaced apart relation, means for horizontallymoving the upper and lower beams together, and wherein one of saidpartition walls for each of said compartments includes an angularlydirected flange portion, said flange portion being disposed at the sameangle as said linking bars when they assume said angularly disposedposition, the other wall for each of said compartments being adapted tosupport said linking bars when they are disposed in said vertical plane.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,883,788 Hepburn Oct. 18, 1932 1,902,063 Ferris et a1 Mar. 21, 19332,718,442 Winter Sept. 20, 1955 2,848,206 Kniveton Aug. 19, 1958

1. IN A FURNACE CONSTRUCTION HAVING A CLOSED BOTTOM, UPSTANDINGSUPPORTING MEANS PROVIDED FOR MAINTAINING THE WORK IN THE FURNACE IN AHORIZONTAL PLANE, AND CHANNEL MEANS DISPOSED BETWEEN ADJACENT SUPPORTINGMEANS, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING MEANS FOR MOVING SAID WORK WITHIN SAIDFURNACE FROM ONE LOCATION ON SAID SUPPORTING MEANS TO ANOTHER, SAIDMOVING MEANS INCLUDING UPPER AND LOWER BEAMS HORIZONTALLY DISPOSEDWITHIN AT LEAST ONE OF SAID CHANNEL MEANS, SAID BEAM DEFINING OPENINTERIOR PORTIONS, SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY DISPOSED PARTITION WALLSFORMED TRANSVERSELY OF THE LENGTH OF SAID PARTITIONS IN SAID INTERIORPORTIONS TO THEREBY DEFINE A PLURALITY OF BEARING RECEIVING COMPARTMENTSTHEREIN IN SPACEDAPART RELATIONSHIP ALONG THE LENGTH OF EACH OF SAIDBEAMS, REMOVABLE BEARING INSERTS WITH CONCAVE SEATS DISPOSED WITHIN SAIDCOMPARTMENTS AND SECURED AGAINST LATERAL MOVEMENT WITH RESPECT TO THEIRASSOCIATED BEAMS BY MEANS OF THEIR ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID PARTITION WALLS,LINKING BARS HAVING CONVEX ENDS PIVOTALLY INTERFITTING WITH SAID SEATS,SAID BEARING INSERTS BEING HELD WITHIN SAID COMPARTMENTS BY REASON OFTHEIR ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID LINKING BARS, SAID LINKING BARS HAVING ALENGTH SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN SAID BEAM IN SPACED APART RELATION WHENTHE BARS AND THEIR RESPECTIVE SEATS ARE ALIGNED IN A VERTICAL PLANE,MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID LOWER BEAM FOR HORIZONTALLY SHIFTING SAID BEAMSRELATIVE TO EACH OTHER, SAID LINKING BARS BEING ADAPTED TO HOLD THE TOPOF SAID UPPER BEAM ABOVE THE TOP OF SAID SUPPORTING MEANS WHENEVER THEBEAMS ARE DISPOSED IN SAID SPACED APART RELATION, A ROLLER BED MADE UPOF A PLURALITY OF ROLLERS MOUNTED FOR ROTATION IN THE BOTTOM OF SAIDCHANNEL MEANS, SAID ROLLER BED SUPPORTING SAID LOWER BEAM, MEANSCONNECTING SAID UPPER AND LOWER BEAMS AND MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAIDCONNECTING MEANS FOR HORIZONTALLY MOVING THE UPPER AND LOWER BEAMS OVERSAID ROLLER BED.